Cynthia Bailey announces she will not be returning to ‘RHOA’

"Thank you to my Real Housewives of Atlanta castmates for eleven of the most unbelievable years of my life," Bailey wrote.

Cynthia Bailey announced in an Instagram message on Monday that she is leaving the Real Housewives of Atlanta

Bailey has been on the hit Bravo reality series for 11 seasons. In her post, she noted that she has “made the very difficult and heartfelt decision not to return for the next season of Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

Cynthia Bailey theGRIO.com
(Credit: Getty Images)

She continued, “Thank you NBC Universal, Bravo, and Truly Original for over a decade of partnership. I can’t wait to see what we do next! Thank you to my Real Housewives of Atlanta castmates for eleven of the most unbelievable years of my life; and the most incredible & UNFORGETTABLE memories!”

Bailey will appear on Real Housewives’ spinoff, Ultimate Girls Trip, which was filmed in Turks and Caicos and is slated to air on Peacock later this year. The show features fellow RHOA star Kenya Moore, as well as Kyle Richards from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga of Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Real Housewives of New York City‘s Luann de Lesseps and Ramona Singer.

“I am so grateful to have had this amazing journey, and I am anxiously waiting to embark on new adventures,” wrote Bailey in her Instagram post. 

“Most importantly, THANK YOU to my fans! I could not have done it without your blessings, love, and support. Without the fans, none of this would be possible. I love and appreciate all of you.” she added. 

“It’s time to move on to my next chapter, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you,” she concluded. 

Bravo also posted about Bailey’s RHOA exit on Twitter, writing in part: “We’re wishing @cynthiabailey the best on her next adventures after #RHOA.”

Bailey hinted that she wouldn’t be returning to RHOA during her appearance on The Wendy Williams Show in June.

“Word on the street is I may be out of a job,” she said.

“Here’s the thing, nobody really wants to be fired,” she continued. “I mean, my first job was Taco Bell. I wouldn’t want to be fired from there. I would want the option to leave if I wanted to go. God’s will, not my will, will be done. I have had an amazing run. It’s been 11 amazing years as a consistent peach-holder.”

theGRIO previously reported that The Real Housewives of Atlanta has been on a bit of a hiatus since ending season 13 in May. Since then, the women have been busy, with Kenya Moore joining Dancing with the Stars, Porsha Williams filming a spin-off series for Bravo, and Kandi Burruss producing a play on Broadway.

Cynthia Bailey
(Photo by Marianna Massey/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Former Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross may be in talks to join the show, which has not begun filming. According to a report from LoveBScott, Bravo producers are eyeing Richards-Ross to be a peach holder. As a four-time Olympic gold medalist, Richards-Ross would be a major get for the series. After moving to the US at age 12 from Jamaica, she was named the National High School Female Athlete of the Year and USA Track and Field Youth Athlete of the Year in her senior year.

Casting rumors surrounding The Real Housewives of Atlanta have circulated for some time now, with RHOA OG Shereé Whitfield rumored to possibly make her second return to the series.

According to a source close to production, Marlo Hampton has bumped up from “friend” of the housewives to full-time cast member.

This article contains additional reporting from theGRIO’s Jared Alexander

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!

SHARE THIS ARTICLE